Google Chrome has rolled out a new feature "Touch To Search" that would allow users to tap words on a page for their definition. The meaning of the specific word along with other details will be available at the bottom of the screen.
As of yet, the feature is not rolling out to the general public, as it's in testing phase, however, interested Chrome users can enable it on stable version.
The new feature would work for both – dictionary definitions and short descriptions of the specific word. A pronunciation guide will also come alongside the dictionary results.
We also observed that long-pressing rather than tapping will give you the basic tap search, which would allow you to do a simple search in a pull-out tab.
The newer version is also similar. However, pulling up on the bar gives you a tab from Google’s search results, taking you directly to the relevant details.
The setting page of tap to search explains that "Touch to search sends a word and its surrounding context to Google Search, returning definitions, picture, search results and other details."
In post-publication testing, we were able to identify the feature to be controlled by a ‘Contextual Search definitions’ flag. This is located at chrome://flags/#contextual-search-definitions.
After enabling the Touch To Search flag, users can turn it off from Sync and Google services in Chrome for Android settings.
Read next: Google Chrome's “Extension Checkup” will help users protect their privacy and security
As of yet, the feature is not rolling out to the general public, as it's in testing phase, however, interested Chrome users can enable it on stable version.
The new feature would work for both – dictionary definitions and short descriptions of the specific word. A pronunciation guide will also come alongside the dictionary results.
We also observed that long-pressing rather than tapping will give you the basic tap search, which would allow you to do a simple search in a pull-out tab.
The newer version is also similar. However, pulling up on the bar gives you a tab from Google’s search results, taking you directly to the relevant details.
The setting page of tap to search explains that "Touch to search sends a word and its surrounding context to Google Search, returning definitions, picture, search results and other details."
In post-publication testing, we were able to identify the feature to be controlled by a ‘Contextual Search definitions’ flag. This is located at chrome://flags/#contextual-search-definitions.
After enabling the Touch To Search flag, users can turn it off from Sync and Google services in Chrome for Android settings.
Read next: Google Chrome's “Extension Checkup” will help users protect their privacy and security
